Abstract: Described is a device for distributing at least timing information to data processing units in a telecommunication apparatus, said data processing units comprising at least one port and at least one switching matrix, the device comprising at least one clock reference unit and a transmission channel from said at least one clock reference unit to said at least one switching matrix, wherein said synchronization transmission channel comprises a plurality of connections from said at least one clock reference unit to said data processing units, each of said connections transporting the same clock and synchronization information at a SDH/SONET fundamental frequency, as well as sub-multiples thereof, further wherein a signal transported by said synchronization transmission channel is frame structured.